Poor judgment and human mistakes – not just surprisingly hot weather – increasingly appear to have contributed to the unprecedented decision by the nation’s energy regulators to institute rolling blackouts for about five hours last Thursday. And heads are starting to roll, as a result. Read More »

The Robovie-R ver.3 robot by Vstone Co. Ltd of Japan greets attendees at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show January 6, 2011 in the US.

Parliamentary hearings don’t typically veer into schoolboy fantasy territory, but Knowledge Economy Minister-designate Choi Joong-kyung may have captured the interest of the young-at-heart this morning.

Choi was commenting about the promise of the robot industry and what South Korea should do to become a major player in the field. He said robots will continue to be developed for a variety of uses in industry, as home appliances and pets, as well as in weaponry.
“As the 19th-century science fiction stories became real in the 20th century, I believe the robots that we have seen in cartoons like Mazinger Z or Robot Taekwon V will eventually materialize,” Choi said. Read More »

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Korea Real Time provides sharp analysis and insight into what’s making news on the Korean peninsula. We chronicle the growing pains of South Korea — a country that has skyrocketed into the club of the world’s richest nations but now faces significant headwinds, and shine a spotlight on one of the world’s biggest geopolitical flashpoints: North Korea. Drawing on the expertise of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires, we’ll tell the stories behind the headlines in business, economics, politics, culture and lifestyle. You can contact the editors at korearealtime@wsj.com